Whirlpool Corp.'s reviews in people management, quality of management and global competitiveness helped the company make the grade. Whirlpool joins the likes of Boeing, Nike, Apple, American Express, GE, IBM and Google, all of which also ranked first in their respective industry sectors.

"As the largest and most innovative appliance company in the world with over 102 years of history, it is an honor to once again be named one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies," said Jeff Fettig, the company chairman and CEO. "We are particularly proud of our scores in the management and global competitiveness categories and believe that we are poised for continued success in 2013, benefiting our consumers, suppliers, employees, shareholders and communities, especially those in which we operate."